Almanac

Party raises funds for Garden Conservancy

Event will be held at Green Gables estate, observing 100th anniversary

by Kate Daly

The public is invited to an old fashioned garden party, being held Sunday, Sept. 25, at the Green Gables estate in Woodside to raise money for the Garden Conservancy and its educational programs.

The 75-acre estate is celebrating its 100th anniversary since Charles Sumner Greene of Greene & Greene designed the country home in the Arts and Crafts style.

Mr. Greene also designed the landscaping that features gardens with an allee of Camperdown elms, a broad terrace and parterre, and a 300-foot Roman reflecting pool anchored by stone arches.

From 4 to 6:30 p.m., hors d'oeuvres and cocktails will be served in the gardens. A piano player will provide live music. One of the property's owners, Delia Fleishhacker Erlich, will speak about her family's multi-generational history at the estate.

The caretaker and master gardener, Dan Lurie, will act as a docent. Self-guided tours will also be available.

Green Gables is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2003, the Fleishhacker family established a conservation easement with the Garden Conservancy to ensure the gardens and landscaping are maintained and preserved intact.

The Garden Conservancy is a nonprofit organization that works to preserve significant gardens in North America for educational purposes and public enjoyment. The group hosts talks and workshops on landscape architecture, garden design, horticulture and preservation. The West Coast office is based in San Francisco.

Co-chairs of this event are Toni Hunter Breck and her husband, Peter, Susie Swinerton McBaine and her husband, Pat, and Betsy and Coby Everdell. Ms. Everdell has designed gardens in Atherton and Woodside. Both Ms. McBaine and Ms. Breck grew up in Woodside.

"Green Gables is a hidden treasure in Woodside, and an example of how the Garden Conservancy works, working with the Fleishhacker family to preserve the property for future generations to enjoy," Ms. Breck says.

Tickets are $150 per person and can be ordered by contacting Emily Riley by Sept. 18 at (415) 441-4300 or eriley@gardenconservancy.com.

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